DeRousi, Sorg to face off in primary for Ambler mayor

In Ambler, the mayoral race is heating up as two Democratic challengers vie for the coveted position.

Ambler Mayor Bud Wahl recently announced he would not be seeking re-election this year, leaving Democratic candidates Frank DeRousi and Jeanne Sorg to campaign for the job. There are no Republican candidates this year, suggesting that whoever wins the Democratic primary is expected to replace Wahl in November.

DeRousi, 48, a fifth-grade teacher at Blue Bell Elementary School, said he’s running for mayor because he really believes in Ambler. He said he moved to the borough in 1996 and described it then as a “city in transition.”

“It had the bones of a great community that needed fattening,” he said.

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Since that time, he said, the town has done a great job revitalizing itself, which he credits to the hard work done by borough council and Ambler Main Street.

DeRousi said he’s qualified for the mayoral position because he’s been an active member of the community from the get-go. He’s coached his children in Ambler Junior Baseball, he’s been an active voice at borough council meetings and he has spoken out against issues like the proposed electronic billboards.

He said his work as vice president of the Wissahickon Education Alliance union has allowed him to become “an advocate for people.”

As a Ward 3 committeeman, DeRousi said he’s made connections with members of council and borough staff.

These are, he said, “established relationships that will translate into good working relationships.”

One of his top priorities, if elected, is the continued revitalization of the borough and cleaning up the brownfields.

He said the railroad corridor has come a long way and the success of the redevelopment of the Ambler Boiler House is indicative of the fact that businesses want to locate in Ambler.

He also said parking is an issue he’d like to tackle by exploring new parking options along Maple Avenue.

Facing off against DeRousi is Sorg, 40, who said she’s interested in running for mayor because public service and getting involved in the community are important to her.

Currently, she said, she is working as a senior staffer for state Rep. Steven McCarter, D-154. Her interest and involvement with public affairs trickles back to when her husband, former state Rep. Rick Taylor, ran for a position on borough council in 2005, then again as a state representative in 2006, she said. If elected mayor, the job would give her a chance to continue serving.

There are two main issues Sorg said she’d like to address if elected. The first, she said, is the continued redevelopment of many borough properties that have gone unused for years, including the brownfields. Using the redevelopment of the boiler house as an example, she said there are many spaces that could be revitalized and help increase the tax base.

“I think we can become a leader of redevelopment,” she said, “from former manufacturing sites through high-end condominiums.”

Another issue she’d like to address is flood mitigation, she said.

Sorg said she’d like Ambler to become part of a regional flood control partnership with other local municipalities. She compared Ambler to Cheltenham Township by saying both have a flooding problem. Cheltenham, she said, is solving the problem at a regional level by working with its neighboring municipalities and that’s something she’d like to see Ambler do.

“Ambler deserves public servants with experience to move them forward,” she said.